Anime and Hollywood: A (Non-)Discourse
How about that Neo Yokio? Don’t worry, I won’t discuss everyone favourite, meme-generating, anime-wannabe. The reason, aside from it being redundant, is that it’s reductive to discuss why the show’s bad if I haven’t watched it yet. Besides, I think it’s irrelevant to the greater issue, namely the anime bubble slowly starting to burst in the West. Because it is.
Before I discuss the greater implications, we need some context. A few years ago, I wrote a piece on Infinite Rainy Day about how anime’s perceived in the West. Said piece was recently followed up with a rant about Andrew Tate, but in my original post I said:
The West still has several misunderstandings about anime, as well as why it’s appealing. For some, it’s that weird form of entertainment no one understands, yet is cool to discuss anyway. For others, it’s that weird form of entertainment no one understands, yet no one wants to discuss at all. And for even more, it’s that weird form of entertainment no one understands period. If you want proof, a well-meaning, pro-Israel rally that I went to a while back used an anime girl as a stand-in for BDS.
Like it or not, anime’s becoming a part of Western discourse. Much like how Game of Thrones is a de-facto point of water-cooler chat, so too is anime becoming a semi-de-facto point of water-cooler chat. And nowhere is this more-apparent than in how Hollywood execs are reacting to its burst in popularity. Or, rather, what Hollywood execs are presuming is anime’s sudden burst in popularity, seeing as it’s been somewhat popular for a while now. As such, we’re seeing Hollywood cater to anime fans. Unfortunately, it’s not the catering we want.
Remember how I said that anime “can be great”? Hollywood finally gets that…but they don’t get why. Instead, they’re busy scratching their heads in confusion. They know it’s popular, and they know it generates money, but how to capitalize on that in the best (read “laziest”) way possible? The results are varied: in some cases, like Ghost in the Shell and Death Note, the answer’s been to remake them into live-action, Westernized film adaptations. And that, as you’re no doubt aware, has proven disastrous and embarrassing on multiple levels.
And then there’s Neo Yokio, which goes a step further by actively making an Americanized anime for Netflix. There’s a lot I could say about why this attempt fails harder than the aforementioned movies, but I’ll avoid that because, like I said earlier, I’ve yet to watch it. Either way, be it a remake or an original, Hollywood’s taking note, but for the wrong reasons. It’s the equivalent of that “How do you do, fellow kids?” meme the internet loves. And it couldn’t be more on-point.
The frustration is that Hollywood tries way too hard to break into currently equitable markets. Sure, capitalize on anime! It is, after all, as much a business as an art form, and any extra money pumped into it is greatly-appreciated. However, don’t treat it only as such. Anime’s also an art form, and any art form dies when there’s no passion. (I’d argue that passion’s the sole reason anime’s still around, but I’ve already covered that.)
It’s especially frustrating because anime’s influence in the West need not be so blatant to work. Ignoring film remakes and Neo Yokio, we’ve had several cartoons pay their dues to anime. South Park, for example, has a Cthulhu episode that rips-off My Neighbor Totoro, right down to lampooning the movie’s theme song. On the more subtle end, Avatar: The Last Airbender, arguably one of the greatest shows ever made, blends anime art, storytelling and themes with Western sensibilities, such that one need not know anime to appreciates its influences. Essentially, imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but only when done lovingly.
But we can argue this all day and mistake the forest for the trees. It sucks that a live-action your name. is in the works, yes, and we could stand for less Neo Yokio, true, but it’s not the harbinger of death that so many make it out to be. I’d even argue that this is the first step to fully appreciating and accepting anime in the West. It wasn’t so long ago, after all, that comic book movies weren’t taken seriously and video game films didn’t try at all. It’s frustrating that Hollywood’s dragging its feet, not getting anime and fumbling all-the-while, but isn’t that the first step? Should we allow Hollywood to stumble before flying, or are they doomed to fail?
Before I discuss the greater implications, we need some context. A few years ago, I wrote a piece on Infinite Rainy Day about how anime’s perceived in the West. Said piece was recently followed up with a rant about Andrew Tate, but in my original post I said:
“…[A]nime can, in fact, be great. Some of the greatest shows ever are anime-related. Some of the greatest movies ever are also anime-related. It’s not a matter that’s up for debate, the critical praise and accolades speak for themselves. Calling anime ‘fetish porn' would be like calling movies ‘trailer trash’: it’s offensive to those involved in making them.”
I hold the above to be true even now. Yet it seems like that long built-up disdain is starting to fade. What once was a niche form of entertainment is now becoming, even if slightly, mainstream. On one hand, this is exactly what we want as fans. On the other hand, it’s also everything we’ve dreaded. And that’s because of how anime’s being re-contextualized now that it’s hot.The West still has several misunderstandings about anime, as well as why it’s appealing. For some, it’s that weird form of entertainment no one understands, yet is cool to discuss anyway. For others, it’s that weird form of entertainment no one understands, yet no one wants to discuss at all. And for even more, it’s that weird form of entertainment no one understands period. If you want proof, a well-meaning, pro-Israel rally that I went to a while back used an anime girl as a stand-in for BDS.
Like it or not, anime’s becoming a part of Western discourse. Much like how Game of Thrones is a de-facto point of water-cooler chat, so too is anime becoming a semi-de-facto point of water-cooler chat. And nowhere is this more-apparent than in how Hollywood execs are reacting to its burst in popularity. Or, rather, what Hollywood execs are presuming is anime’s sudden burst in popularity, seeing as it’s been somewhat popular for a while now. As such, we’re seeing Hollywood cater to anime fans. Unfortunately, it’s not the catering we want.
Remember how I said that anime “can be great”? Hollywood finally gets that…but they don’t get why. Instead, they’re busy scratching their heads in confusion. They know it’s popular, and they know it generates money, but how to capitalize on that in the best (read “laziest”) way possible? The results are varied: in some cases, like Ghost in the Shell and Death Note, the answer’s been to remake them into live-action, Westernized film adaptations. And that, as you’re no doubt aware, has proven disastrous and embarrassing on multiple levels.
And then there’s Neo Yokio, which goes a step further by actively making an Americanized anime for Netflix. There’s a lot I could say about why this attempt fails harder than the aforementioned movies, but I’ll avoid that because, like I said earlier, I’ve yet to watch it. Either way, be it a remake or an original, Hollywood’s taking note, but for the wrong reasons. It’s the equivalent of that “How do you do, fellow kids?” meme the internet loves. And it couldn’t be more on-point.
The frustration is that Hollywood tries way too hard to break into currently equitable markets. Sure, capitalize on anime! It is, after all, as much a business as an art form, and any extra money pumped into it is greatly-appreciated. However, don’t treat it only as such. Anime’s also an art form, and any art form dies when there’s no passion. (I’d argue that passion’s the sole reason anime’s still around, but I’ve already covered that.)
It’s especially frustrating because anime’s influence in the West need not be so blatant to work. Ignoring film remakes and Neo Yokio, we’ve had several cartoons pay their dues to anime. South Park, for example, has a Cthulhu episode that rips-off My Neighbor Totoro, right down to lampooning the movie’s theme song. On the more subtle end, Avatar: The Last Airbender, arguably one of the greatest shows ever made, blends anime art, storytelling and themes with Western sensibilities, such that one need not know anime to appreciates its influences. Essentially, imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but only when done lovingly.
But we can argue this all day and mistake the forest for the trees. It sucks that a live-action your name. is in the works, yes, and we could stand for less Neo Yokio, true, but it’s not the harbinger of death that so many make it out to be. I’d even argue that this is the first step to fully appreciating and accepting anime in the West. It wasn’t so long ago, after all, that comic book movies weren’t taken seriously and video game films didn’t try at all. It’s frustrating that Hollywood’s dragging its feet, not getting anime and fumbling all-the-while, but isn’t that the first step? Should we allow Hollywood to stumble before flying, or are they doomed to fail?
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/55701647/Screen_Shot_2017_07_13_at_1.09.20_PM.0.png){kind=link}
Comments
Post a Comment